


Red String 2

by agiddything



Series: Red String [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-05 04:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1089766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agiddything/pseuds/agiddything
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one has to tell Stiles when Derek leaves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red String 2

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the 2013 sterek holiday card exchange. It was not the fluffy Christmas piece I had hoped to write. But it's not a downer either?
> 
> Hopefully they've received their cards by now!

No one has to tell Stiles when Derek leaves.

 

It happens in the middle of class. Stiles is taking notes at a furious pace; frankly, he and everyone else have fallen just a little behind since the Alpha Pack and a vengeful Darach strolled into town. His left finger tugs. It happens often; Stiles thinks it’s just a reminder of the connection, but it’s not like he has anyone to ask. The string tugs again, harder. Stiles stares, notes forgotten, as his string fades from the blazing red to a dull mocking color.

 

“—inski? Mr. Stilinski?”

 

Stiles looks around. He’s standing, left hand trembling in front of his face. The other students are staring at him warily. At least Scott’s not in this class. He’d have some serious explaining to do then.

 

“Sorry,” he mutters and sits. “I’m fine. Sorry.”

 

He has still never talked about them. It’s just – was there ever a good moment? He’d wanted to say something to Scott, especially once all the supernatural stuff settled but oh, wait, it _never settled_. Plus, how do you say, “Listen, Scott, you love her, she loves you, I know she tried to kill Erica and Boyd and I know she’s dating Isaac, but Allison is your soulmate, and I know this because of strings only visible to me.” And probably Scott would believe him because they’re bros like that, but even Stiles sometimes knows when certain topics (AllisonandIsaac) are still too raw to be breached.

 

After school, he speeds to Derek’s loft to torture himself more with what he already knows. Stiles wonders as he looks around the empty room, would he have stayed? If Derek knew, if Stiles had told him, would he have stayed?

 

In the beginning, Stiles tried for a long time to understand why they were connected. Derek was just terrible. The worst. Stiles couldn’t find one reason to like him and his stupid face, let alone accept they were soulmates. There was just no way. Derek yelled at him. Threatened him and Scott. Wanted Scott more than Stiles anyway. Pushed him out of danger. Helped him. Saved him.

 

No reason at all for Stiles to like him. And his stupid face.

 

Nightmares start. Sleeping, waking, Stiles doesn’t even know anymore. Scott keeps looking at him like he wants to say something, but Stiles knows Scott has his own darkness to deal with. They’ll help each other however they can, but some things are beyond brothers. At least Scott has Allison to anchor him when Stiles can’t. Though they’re both struggling to be not-in-any-way-awkward friends, the red string connecting those two is as bright as ever. Stiles is beginning to understand that soulmates means something beyond a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a husband, or wife. Maybe Allison and Scott will never be together the way they were before, but they’ll always be connected, always have each other.

 

He takes to rubbing his ring finger. He feels the darkness around his heart, just like Deaton said, and rubbing that finger, even with the faded string, is sometimes a comfort. Because at least it’s not broken. At least it still leads to _somewhere_ , where the man on the other end is at least _alive_.

 

Stiles dreams that the string pulls so tight it snaps. He screams and screams until Scott shakes him awake. Rubbing his finger, he dismisses Scott’s concerns. “It’s nothing, I’m fine.” They both know otherwise, but Scott doesn’t press. They’ve spent weeks researching now but have not found a way to stop the dreams and the coldness and the memories that follow them all.

 

Sleeping, waking. Stiles sits in his Jeep, second-guessing his ability to drive. He feels his finger tug and nearly cries. Dreaming again. “Stop it, stop it,” he whispers. “Wake up wake upwakupwakeUP.”

 

The string is such a red that Stiles can hardly breathe. How will this dream end? Will the red bleed onto his skin again as string fades into nothing? Will it fray right before his eyes? Will it pull and pull until it breaks and dangles and taunts him? It’s not been this bright before, so maybe something new will happen to make Stiles cold with regret.

 

He’s shaking. Someone is grasping his shoulders to still him. “Stiles. Stiles! Listen to me. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in…”

 

Stiles listens. He breathes. The string tugs, but Stiles doesn’t feel like he’s dreaming. It’s still bright red. When he looks up, Derek Hale stares at him. He has never been in one of the dreams before. Stiles feels warm where Derek is touching him. “Hey,” Stiles croaks. “Hey, man, you’re back?”

 

Derek nods slowly and moves his hands away.

 

“New threat or something we should know about?” Stiles asks, trying for casual and failing.

 

Derek says, “Isn’t there always? But that’s not why –.” He pauses. Rubs his left ring finger. “I don’t know. I had to come back.” He rolls his eyes and adds, “I just knew you’d be the one in some kind of trouble.”

 

Stiles knows Derek can’t see them. He has never once acknowledged the strings like Stiles still catches himself doing. He has never once reacted to tugs. But it brought him back to Stiles, and that means something. He takes Derek’s hand and strokes the base of his finger. “Dude,” he says, unable to hide the sincerity in his voice, “I missed you too. And anyway, don’t be a dick, I’m fine.”

 

And right now, he is.


End file.
